1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to information delivery in a computer network. More particularly, the invention relates to techniques for enabling a user of an e-mail client to obtain programs for handling mail attachments.
2. Description of the Related Art
E-mail has become the communication method of choice throughout the business world as well as for the general public. In a typical enterprise environment, a mail server (such as UNIX SendMail) has a local mail delivery agent or client (typically .../bin/mail on UNIX systems) that stores an incoming e-mail on a local file system and delivers it to an end user via POP, IMAP or a command line program. Such agents typically provide the basic functionality of logging in an e-mail message and copying that message to a client machine's mail spool. Internet-based client-server messaging systems include, for example, Lotus Notes, which provides e-mail, calendaring, group scheduling, Web access and information management, integrated in an easy-to-use and customizable environment.
When a user receives a file attachment via e-mail, it is often the case that there is no installed application (generically, a “handler”) to handle the attachment. For example, assume that an e-mail includes a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation as a file attachment. Certain e-mail applications (such as a Lotus Notes client) include third party presentation software, e.g., Freelance, that cannot be used to display a PowerPoint presentation. The user must then attempt to locate the handler and, if successful, download and install the program on his or her machine. This is a difficult and often frustrating set of tasks, especially if the user only needs the program for a single use or if the user already has a copy of the program on some other machine. To address this problem, it is known in the art to have a client browser (e.g., Netscape Navigator) open to a default “plug-in” page to assist the user. Nevertheless, even in this situation, the user must manually locate the relevant plug-in, download it, and then install it before the e-mail attachment can be accessed.
It would be desirable to provide a more automated method to seamlessly install and enable attachment handlers in an e-mail client. The present invention addresses this problem.